New and Bestselling Books for March

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After one of the wettest Winters on record, we are now heading into Springtime with gusty gales and dare I say more rain….. Pop the kettle on, treat yourself to a biscuit or two and relax (the kids are back at school) and you deserve a little time to take a look at the very latest and greatest new books being released right now….

FICTION

Golden Boy, Abigail Tarttelin

Max Walker: blue-eyed boy or girl next door?

To the outside world, Max Walker is a golden boy: a loving son and brother, the perfect student, captain of the football team and every girl’s dream boyfriend.

But Max was born intersex – neither fully boy nor fully girl. Now something terrible has happened to him, the consequences of which have left him questioning his true identity.

Can the people around him – his girlfriend, his classmates, his ambitious parents – accept him for who he is? Or will Max’s secret life tear his world apart?

If You’re Not the One, Jemma Forte

Ever wondered what life would be like if you’d made different decisions? Chosen another career? Said yes to that date? Or married someone else?

Jennifer Wright is full of ‘what if’ questions.

If she’d stayed with unconventional, carefree Aidan, would she be enjoying life in sun-kissed Australia?

Should she have married fabulously wealthy, workaholic Tim?

Could she have found happiness after all with kind, gentle Steve?

Jennifer s about to find out. After a terrible row with her husband, she runs out of the house and straight into the path of a car. Whilst in a coma she s given the gift of seeing exactly how each choice she’s made has dramatically altered her life.

But maybe those answers leave her with even more life-changing decisions to make…

The Bookshop, Penelope Fitzgerald, David Nicholls

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

In a small East Anglian town, Florence Green decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop.

Hardborough becomes a battleground. Florence has tried to change the way things have always been done, and as a result, she has to take on not only the people who have made themselves important, but natural and even supernatural forces too. Her fate will strike a chord with anyone who knows that life has treated them with less than justice.

The Dead Wife’s Handbook, Hannah Beckerman

‘Today is my death anniversary. A year ago today I was still alive.’

Rachel, Max and their daughter Ellie had the perfect life – until the night Rachel’s heart stopped beating.

Now Max and Ellie are doing their best to adapt to life without Rachel, and just as her family can’t forget her, Rachel can’t quite let go of them either. Caught in a place between worlds, Rachel watches helplessly as she begins to fade from their lives. And when Max is persuaded by family and friends to start dating again, Rachel starts to understand that dying was just the beginning of her problems.

As Rachel grieves for the life she’s lost and the life she’ll never lead, she learns that sometimes the thing that breaks your heart might be the very thing you hope for.

Hidden, Barbara Taylor Bradford

Drama, danger and heartbreak. This is a gripping story from a master storyteller.

On the surface, Claire Saunders has it all. She has a rewarding career in fashion and a talented concert pianist daughter. Her loving husband is one of the country’s most trusted diplomats.

But every now and again, she has to plaster her face in heavy make-up and wears sunglasses. She thinks she’s hidden her secret from her best friends, but they know her too well.

Can her friends get her out of harm’s way and protect her from her ruthless and powerful husband? And along the way, can Claire learn to stop protecting the wrong people?

Just a Girl, Standing in Front of a Boy, Lucy-Anne Holmes

‘My love story may not be the sort you read about in books or see in films . . . Love stories have glorious highs and ghastly lows. But when it comes to my own life, I’d have to say, you can keep your fabulous highs and I’ll happily steer clear of the terrible lows.’After a rocky start in life, Jenny Taylor, 27, star receptionist at the local doctors surgery, has things all worked out thanks to a list of ten daily things she must do to keep the blues at bay. But her life is turned upside down when she meets aspiring musician Joe King. And reliable boyfriend Matt proposes. And then her mum leaves her dad and moves into Jenny’s flat determined to ‘bond’.Hilarious, honest and heartbreaking, Just a Girl, Standing in Front of a Boy is an edgy modern love story that will make you look at your own love story in a whole new way.

Harvest, Jim Crace

As late summer steals in and the final pearls of barley are gleaned, a village comes under threat. A trio of outsiders – two men and a dangerously magnetic woman – arrives on the woodland borders triggering a series of events that will see Walter Thirsk’s village unmade in just seven days: the harvest blackened by smoke and fear, cruel punishment meted out to the innocent, and allegations of witchcraft. But something even darker is at the heart of Walter’s story, and he will be the only man left to tell it . . .

The Unpredictable Consequences of Love, Jill Mansell

In the idyllic seaside town of St Carys, Sophie is putting the past firmly behind her.

When Josh arrives in St Carys to run the family hotel, he can’t understand why Sophie has zero interest in letting any man into her life. He also can’t understand how he’s been duped into employing Sophie’s impulsive friend Tula, whose crush on him is decidedly unrequited.

St Carys has more than its fair share of characters, including the charming but utterly feckless surfer Riley Bryant, who has a massive crush on Tula. Riley’s aunt is superstar author Marguerite Marshall. And Marguerite has designs on Josh’s grandfather…who in turn still adores his glamorous ex-wife, Dot…

Just how many secrets can one seaside town keep?

The Farm, Tom Rob Smith

If you refuse to believe me, I will no longer consider you my son…

Daniel believed that his parents were enjoying a peaceful retirement on a remote farm in Sweden, the country of his mother’s birth. But with a single phone call, everything changes.

Your mother…she’s not well, his father tells him. She’s been imagining things – terrible, terrible things. In fact, she has been committed to a mental hospital.

Before Daniel can board a plane to Sweden, his mother calls: Everything that man has told you is a lie. I’m not mad… I need the police… Meet me at Heathrow.

Daniel is immediately caught between his parents – whom to believe, whom to trust? He becomes his mother’s unwilling judge and jury. Presented with a horrific crime, a conspiracy that implicates his own father, Daniel must examine the evidence and decide for himself: who is telling the truth? And he has secrets of his own that for too long he has kept hidden…

NON FICTION

Wheat Belly, William Davis MD

Wheat Belly shook the foundations of the diet world when author and renowned cardiologist William Davis revealed that an epidemic of adverse health effects – from mysterious rashes and high blood sugar to stubborn belly fat (so-called wheat bellies) – could be banished forever with one simple step: Saying goodbye to wheat. The Wheat Belly Cookbook built on that foundation with hundreds of delicious, family favorite recipes with a wheat-free makeover. Now, it’s easier than ever with this collection of yummy recipes that are quick enough for busy weekdays – and good enough for company. Readers will find an introduction to the ABCs of wheat-free cooking, plus a guide to prepping the kitchen, stocking the pantry, and getting started on a healthy new path. Beautifully illustrated with full-colour photo inserts, readers will enjoy these delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, side dishes, snacks, desserts – and even special occasions.

Find it in Everything, Drew Barrymore

The image of a heart immediately conjures feelings of love – whether lost, found, fulfilled, or just beyond reach. In FIND IT IN EVERYTHING, acclaimed and beloved actress turned photographer Drew Barrymore shares the photographs she has taken of heart-shaped objects found in everyday life. A morsel of cat food, a fallen leaf, the pattern in a carpet, a scallion floating in miso soup – seemingly everywhere she turns her lens a heart reveals itself.

FIND IT IN EVERYTHING is a heartwarming gift book from the beloved Hollywood actress and director who now adds photographer to her list of credentials.

The Sleep Book,Dr Guy Meadows

A third of the population sleep badly, but now THE SLEEP BOOK’s revolutionary five-week plan means that you don’t have to be one of them.

Using a blend of mindfulness and new ACT therapy techniques, Dr Guy shares his unique five-week plan to cure your sleep problem whether it’s a few restless nights or a lifetime of insomnia. Most people who have trouble sleeping invest a huge amount of time, effort and money into fixing the problem, but Dr Guy has discovered the secret lies not in what you do, but what you learn not to do. In fact, as you will have discovered, the more frustrated you become only serves to push sleep further away.

Dr Guy’s pioneering methods at The Sleep School clinic have been an unprecedented success. By popular demand, his highly effective and 100% natural insomnia remedy is now here in this book. THE SLEEP BOOK is the sum of a doctorate degree in sleep and well over 12,000 hours spent working with more than 2,000 insomniacs in one-to-one clinics, workshops and retreat environments.

Say goodbye to the vicious cycle of sleepless nights. Sleep well, maintain a positive outlook and restore the quality of life you deserve – for good.

Slimming World Extra Easy Express, Slimming World Books

Every second counts when you want to get delicious, healthy food on the table, and this essential cookbook features over 100 irresistible recipes designed to help you lose weight without the wait. You’ll find dishes to tantalise your taste buds while keeping time in the kitchen to a minimum. And of course, they’ll help keep your weight loss on the fast track too. Whether your food mood takes you to meat in minutes, fish in a flash, poultry pronto or va va veg, you’ll have a feast on the table within 30 minutes- and often much faster, leaving time for our delicious deserts at the double. Every recipe is based on Food Optimising, Slimming World’s unique healthy eating plan, so you can fill up on everyday foods like meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice, fruit and vegetables and never go hungry again.

Be Awesome (Modern Life for Modern Ladies) Hadley Freeman

Hadley Freeman, Guardian features writer and author of the popular ‘Ask Hadley…’ column, reminds the modern lady to ‘Be Awesome’.

All women need to listen to Hadley. She might just have the answers to life’s trickiest questions, such as: why does the funny girl in the film never get the guy? Can you read a women’s magazine without damaging your brain? And should you ever buy Hello Kitty knickers? Of course you shouldn’t! Why are you even asking that?

With sage advice, some very helpful lists and a killer dance routine to Patrick Swayze’s ‘She’s Like the Wind’, Hadley is here to show you just how awesome life as a modern lady could be.

BIOGRAPHY

The Life of Meryl Streep, Charles River Editors

“Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.” – Meryl Streep

When Americans are asked who the best actress in the world is today, many of them will name Meryl Streep first, and with good reason. Though her career on screen has not yet spanned 40 years, she has been nominated for 18 Oscars and 28 Golden Globes, which are both records for highest number of nominations. Her Oscar nomination count dwarfs even Katharine Hepburn, who has the second most with 12. Of course, Streep has not only been nominated but won the awards for Best Actress several times, and across several decades, and all told, she can boast of winning 3 Academy Awards, 8 Golden Globes, 2 Emmy Awards, 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Cannes Film Festival award, 5 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, 2 BAFTA awards, and 2 Australian Film Institute awards. It should come as no surprise that she’d already earned the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the age of 55.

Remembering Whitney, Cissy Houston

The definitive account of Whitney Houston’s astonishing life, ground-breaking career and tragic death – complete with never-before-seen photographs – from the only one who truly knows the story behind the headlines: her mother, Cissy Houston.

Cissy has said little publicly about Whitney’s heart-breaking death. Now, for the first time, she opens up and shares the unbelievable story of her daughter’s life, as well as her own, and addresses Whitney’s brightest and darkest moments.

A legendary Grammy Award-winning gospel singer in her own right, Cissy Houston shows how the lessons from her own musical journey helped to shape Whitney’s career – from teaching Whitney to use her voice, to keeping her level-headed throughout her meteoric rise to fame.

Letters to the Midwife, Jennifer Worth

When the CALL THE MIDWIFEbooks became bestsellers, Jennifer Worth was inundated with correspondence. People felt moved to write to her because the books had touched them, and because they wanted to share memories of the world her books described, the East End of London in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

LETTERS TO THE MIDWIFE is a collection of the correspondence she received offering a fascinating glimpse into a long-lost world.

Along with readers’ responses and personal histories, it is filled with heartwarming gems such as letters and drawings sent by one of the nuns featured in Call the Midwife and a curious list of the things Jennifer would need to become a missionary. There are stories from other midwives, lorry drivers, even a seamstress, all with tales to tell.

Containing previously unpublished material describing her time spent in Paris, and some journal entries, this is also a portrait of Jennifer herself, complete with a moving introduction by her family about the Jennifer Worth they knew and loved.

Haatchi and Little B, Wendy Holden

On a bitterly cold night in January 2012, Haatchi the dog was hit over the head, and abandoned on a railway line to be hit by a train. The driver saw the adorable five-month old Anatolian Shepherd moments too late. Somehow, the terrified puppy survived the blood loss from his partially severed leg and tail and managed to crawl away to safety.

Fortunately, Haatchi was rescued, although vets couldn’t save his leg and tail. A Facebook appeal brought him to the attention of a couple of kind-hearted dog lovers, Colleen Drummond and Will Howkins, who are also the dad and stepmum of Owen (known to his family as Little B for ‘little buddy’). One look at Haatchi’s expressive face told them all they needed to know and the lucky dog moved into the Howkins’ family home just six weeks after almost being killed.

Owen, now aged eight, has a rare genetic disorder which causes his muscles to tense permanently. Largely confined to a wheelchair, he was withdrawn and anxious and found it difficult to make friends. But when Owen awoke the morning after Haatchi arrived he immediately fell in love with the severely disabled rescue animal who would, in turn, rescue him.

This book tells their inspiring true story – one astonishing little boy and the very special dog who has changed his life forever.

Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon Northup

The shocking first-hand account of one man’s remarkable fight for freedom; now an award-winning motion picture.

‘Why had I not died in my young years – before God had given me children to love and live for? What unhappiness and suffering and sorrow it would have prevented. I sighed for liberty; but the bondsman’s chain was round me, and could not be shaken off.’

1841: Solomon Northup is a successful violinist when he is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Taken from his family in New York State – with no hope of ever seeing them again – and forced to work on the cotton plantations in the Deep South, he spends the next twelve years in captivity until his eventual escape in 1853.

First published in 1853, this extraordinary true story proved to be a powerful voice in the debate over slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War. It is a true-life testament of one man’s courage and conviction in the face of unfathomable injustice and brutality: its influence on the course of American history cannot be overstated.